Automatic brake-setting device for mine hoisting-engines.



A. W. CHARLES & C. E. MGDONALD. AUTOMATIC: BRAKE SETTING DEVICE Fo MINE EoIsIING ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED 111mm, 1911. Ptented Feb 2 1915 1 1 27, 1 83 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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1 n E) 1 f in i E i C A//f/I/Assfi 6 )7g2/{- r/fn /.Zf/ w 1HE MORRIS PETERS Co PHoro-UTHO WASHINGrON` D C A. W. CHARLES & C. E. MUDONALD. AUTOMATIC BRAKE SETTING DEVICE PoR MINE HoIsTING ENGINES.

APPLIOATXON FILED APE.24, 1911.

1,127,183. Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

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invrrnn srnalns PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED WILLIAM CHARLES AND CHARLES EDWARD MGDONALD, OF BUTTE, MONTANA; SAID CHARLES ASSIGNOR TO SAID MCDONALD.

AUTOMATIC BRAKE-SETTING DEVICE FOR MINE HOISTING-ENGINES.

Specicaton of Letters Patent. Patented Feb, 2, 1915,

Serial No. 623,121.

Application filed April 24, 1911.

l at once that should the rope reel get beyond Be it known that we, ALFRED WILLIAM control where the shaft ranges in depth CHARLES, a subject of England, and CHARLES 9i from 2000 to 6000 feet, the result would be EDWARD McDoNALD, a citizen of the Unitedf ,disastrous. Even in much shorter shafts the States, residing at Butte, in the county ofj 4dropping of a cage would mean the death of Silver-bow and State of Montana, have in-," all its occupants unless the engineer suc- To all ywhom t may concern:

vented a new and useful Automatic Brake` Setting Device for Mine Hoisting-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in governing devices for elevators and the object in view is the provision of automatic means controlling the power supplied to elevators and also controlling movements of the elevators relative to the condition of the power supply means.

The invention is particularly well adapted for application to mine hoisting engines of that type wherein two rope drums or reels are connected tov the main hoisting shaft by a jaw or friction clutch, one rope being wound over and the other under its respective drum so that the hoisting and lowering of the elevator or elevators can be accomplished in counterbalance, or either side can be operated separately7 from the other. When one side is operated alone, the reel not in use is retained against movement by a gravity brake, the clutch being disengaged.

As is well known to those familiar with this art, it is the common practice to provide most hoisting engines With a large number of manually operated levers, usually about seven, and incident to the great number of said levers accidents frequently occur through misapplication of some of them by the engineer so that sometimes the gravity brake is released at the time the clutch is disengaged, or, conversely, the clutch is released when the gravity brake is disengaged, or it sometimes occurs that the clutch breaks at the time the gravity brake is released. When any of these unfortunate accidents occur, or when for any reason the main engine clutch is disengaged at the Same time that the gravity brake is released, the rope reel or drum is free to revolve on the main engine shaft and is caused to do so by the weight of the cable and the load sustained thereby which varies from a half ton to twenty tons according to the capacity of the engine. In this particular art, When operating elevators for men, most mines have from one to four elevators or cages carrying from six to nine men each, and it will be obvious ceeded in setting the brakes and stopping the reel before the speed reached the bursting point. The limit of time in which the brakes may be set in such event is about four seconds with the peripheral speed of the cable or rope reel or drum increasing until at the termination of the four seconds usually it has reached the bursting point. Accidents of the kind suggested have happened in various mines and have occasioned both loss of life and wrecking of the engine.

The primary object of the invention is to obviate liability of such accidents by providing automatic means for setting the gravity brakes for stopping the rope reel or drum in the instance of breaking of the main engine clutch or accidental disengagement thereof, a further object being the automatic application of the gravity brake when the engineer by accident or inadvertence releases the brake when the main engine clutch is disengaged or for automatically setting the brake if the engineer disengages the clutch when the brake is released.

With these and other detail objects in view as will in part hereinafter become apparent and in part be stated, the invention comprises certain novel constructions, combinations and arrangement of parts as hereinafter specilied and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure l is a view partly in vertical section and partly in elevation of an apparatus embodying the features of the present invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail vertical section through the governor clutch and adjacent parts. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal Vertical central section through the cataract engine. Fig. 4 is a similar View, the section being taken at right angles to the plane of the section of Fig. 3 parts being seen in elevation.

Referring to the drawing by numerals, l indicates a sprocket or other gear or belt wheel fixed to the main engine rope or cable reel or drum 22. A governor 2 is connected to be driven by the sprocket 1 and has its reciprocated shaft provided at its lower end with a cone member 3 of a clutch, said cone member being disposed to coperate with the cup member 4 of such clutch. The said cup member is provided with a downwardly extending shank projecting through and journaled in the frame of the governor7 said shank being threaded externally for receiving a retaining nut 4 for holding the cup against dislodgment with respect to the governor frame. The nut is locked in position on the shank by a set screw 4. The said shank is tubular and formed with an internal thread into which is loosely threaded the valve stem 6 of a pressure cylinder 7. The threaded connection between the stem 6 and the shank of the cup 4 is such as to enable ready threading of the respective parts apart and together for causing longitudinal movement of the valve stem 6 when the cup 4 is revolved and the stem 6 is held against revolution. A sleeve 24 surrounds the upper end portion of stem 6 and is itself surrounded by coiled spring 12 whose upper end is fixed to the nut 4 or otherwise appropriately connected to the shank of the cup 47 the lower end of the spring 12 4being fixed to a bevel gear 16 fixed to the lower end of the sleeve 24, as best seen in Fig. 2. The sleeve 24 is splined to the stem 6` as by an appropriate feather 23. The bevel ear 16 meshes with gear 25 carried by a shaft 16 whose opposite extremity carries a beveled pinion 15 meshing with an appropriate gear .fixed to the countershaft 5 which latter is driven from the main engine shaft.

The counterbalance weight 14 is sustained by an appropriately fulcrumed lever 14 whose end opposite the fulcrum is pivoted to a sleeve 14 swiveled to the stem 6 for causing the weight 14 to act in a direction tending to restore the `stem to its engaging position with the shank of the clutch member 4 whenever disengaged from its threaded engagement therewith.

A link 8 is connected with the piston of cylinder 7 and extends to and engages a bell crank lever 9 fixed to the stem of a four-way valve 9. The arm of lever 9 Opposite that engaged by link 8 is pivotally engaged by link 18 which extends to a lever 18 fixed to the stem of two-way valve 10. The valve 9 controls the pressure line 9 to the brake engine 13, and also controls the bypass of said engine7 the usual oil or cataract cylinder 17 being superposed on engine 13 and being provided with a by-pass controlled by the valve 10. A lever 20 is pivoted to the casing of engine 13 and extends through a slot in a link 21 which link has its upper end pivotally connected with a bell crank lever 21', the other arm of the bell crank lever being connected to a link 22" which in turn is pivotally connected with the hand operated lever 11 for the brake engine. The free end of lever 20 is pivotally engaged by link 19 which extends upwardly therefrom and is pivotally connected with the crank arm 18.

Thus when the lever 11 is shifted the valves 10 and 9 are correspondingly shifted. Link 21 extends downwardly past the lever 2O and has its lower end pivotally engaging a lever 26 at one end, the opposite end of the lever 26 being pivotally connected with a link 27 which extends to the lever 28 pivoted to the upstanding fulcrum 29 fixed to the casing of engine 13. The lever 26 is pivotally engaged intermediate its ends by link 30 which extends upwardly to and connects with a crank arm 31 engaging the valve of cylinder 17. The lever 28 is engaged by links 32 connected with the piston rod 33 of engine 13. A counterbalance weight 34 is sustained by the free end of lever 28 and the other end of lever 28 is connected by link 35 to the brake mechanism not shown.

In operation, so long as normal conditions prevail the parts will operate after the manner of the usual hoisting engine, but if through any accident or inadvertence of the operator the main engine clutch should break or become disengaged at the same time that the gravity brakes on the rope reel or drum are disengaged, the normal uniformity in the driving of the parts of the governor clutch is destroyed by virtue of the fact that the unrestrained reel rapidly increases in speed of rotation with a resulting increase in the speed of rotation of the governor 2 which causes the clutch member or cone 3 to descend in the cup or clutch member 4 and revolve the same at a greater speed than the speed of revolution of the stem 6 so that the threaded connection between the stem of the cup 4 and the upper end of stem 6 lis unthreaded, the stem 6 being thus backed off or pressed longitudinallydownwardly to a position opening the valve of cylinder 7 and imparting a .thrust to link 8 which through the links and lever-s described operates the valve 9 to close the pressure line, and to by-pass fluid from beneath the piston to above the same, and thus to permit the weight 34 to move downwardly by gravity to the position seen in Fig. 1, the said weight during such movement actuating the link 35 and applying the main engine brakes. With the resulting decrease in the speed of the reel and the lowering of the governor weights the clutch member 3 is elevated leaving the cup 4 free to revolve. During the period of'differential movement in the rotation of the respective elements 3 and 4 the spring 12 will have been wound to its full capacity in addition to the unscrewing of the stem 6, and as the clutch member 3 is lifted out of the cup 4 the spring 12 is left free to expand and upon such expansion revolves the cup 4 and thus threads the stem 6 back into the stem of the cup and restablishes the normal conditions. The return movenient of link 8 with the upward movement of stem (i opens the pressure line 9 and causes the actuation of engine 13 for lifting lever and weight 34e to their raised ,iosition, for releasing the brakes.

lt is obvious, of course, that the automatic action in the setting of the brakes as set forth would occur whenever from any cause the speed of the drum becomes excessive or otlierwii-ie causes differential rotation of the respec re pai of the governor clutch sufficient fotI )aus-ting member 3 to grip mem- 1 -l and unserenV the connection of the atter with the stem (t li'hat we claim as new is:

l. The ei'imbiiiation with a gravity set bralviy and control n'ieclianism therefor of a rod in oi'rerie'fe coi'ineetion with said mechanism, a pie A,ui e cylinder, an oirierative conneriion between said cylinder and said rod, a valve fin' y-aid cylinder, a stem for said valvey mounted to i tate and to move longiluiflinally` an engine shaft, driving conneeth s between said stem and said shaft, a driven shaft, a governor, driving connec- 'tions` between said driven shaft and said governor, a clutch comprising tivo parts, one of s; id clutch p: rts having a torsional driving connection with said stein and also provided ith means for moving said stem longitudinally upon relative rotary movement of said elu'ieh part and said stem, the other of said clutch parts being provided with means for rotating the saine at the same speed as the other clutch part under normal conditions, means controlled by said guerrier for setting said clutch parts, and ini-ans for autA natealiy returning said stem to normal position.

2. ln an ai'iparatus of the class described, the combination with a driven shaft, a governor, driving connections between the driven shaft and governor, brake applying means, a valve adapted to control said means, a clutch member connected with the valve, and a clutch member connected with the governor and normally out of engagement with the lirst clutch member, a driving connection between the second clutch membri' and the valve for actuating the valve when the second clutch member is engaged and actuated by the first, the clutch members being relatiwly located for having the liest member brought into operative engagement with the second by the movement of the governor under excessively high speed.

il. ln an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a driven shaft, and a governor actuated thereby, of a rotatably mounted clutch member retained against bodily movement, brake applying means, a valve adapted to control said means, a stein for the valve having threaded connection with the clutch member, and a cooperating clutch member connected to the governor and disposed to engage and rotate the firstnientioned clutch member on excessive speed of the governor.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with a driven shaft, and a governor actuated thereby, of a rotatably mounted clutch member retained against bodily movement, brake applying means, a valve adapted to control said means, a stem for the valve having a threaded connection with the clutch member, a cooperating clutch member carried by the governor and disposed to be moved by the governor into engagement with the first clutch member and to thereby rotate the first clutch niember on excessive speed of the governor in a direction causing unscrewing of the threaded connection between the first clutch meinber and valve, and means for effecting relative reverse rotation of the irst mentioned clutch member for rethreading the same on the valve stem.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with a driven shaft and a governor actuated thereby, of a rotatably mounted clutch member retained against bodily movement, brake applying means, a valve adapted to control said means, a stein for the valve having a threaded connection with the clutch member, a cooperating clutch member carried by the governor and disposed sufiiciently contiguous to the first clutch member to be brought into engagement therewith by the movement of the governor under excessive speed and adapted thereupon to rotate the first-mentioned clutch member in a direction for unscreW- ing the threaded connection with the valve stem, and a spring connected to be wound bv the rotation of the first-mentioned clutch member when actuated by the second mentioned clutch member, said spring being adapted to impart reverse rotation to the lirst-inentioneil clutch member when released from engagement with the second mentioned clutch member.

(S. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with a driven shaft and a governor actuated thereby, of a rotatably mounted clutch member retained against bodily movement, brahel applying means, a valve adapted to control said means, a stem for the valve having a thraided connection with the clutch member, a coperatingclutch member carried by the governor and disn'ised sulliciently contiguous to the first clutch member to be brought into engagement therewith by the movement of the governor under excessive speed and to thereupon rotate tl e first clutch member, a spring connected to the lirst clutch member so as to be wound by rotation thereof when actuated by the second-mentioned clutch member, said spring being connected to impart reverse rotation to the first-mentioned clutch member when the first mentioned clutch member is released from engagment with the second mentioned clutch member, and means driven in timed relation to the normal rotation of the drivenshaft for rotating the spring normally in timed rotation to the movement of the governor.

7. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with a driven shaft and a governor actuated thereby, of a gravity brake engine having a cataract cylinder, a main pressure line communicating With the engine, a by-pass for the engine, a four-Way valve controlling the pressure line and the by-pass of the engine, a by-pass for the cylinder, a two-Way valve controlling said by-pass, links and levers connecting the two valves, and means actuated by the governor under excessive speed for shifting the valves for enabling actuation of the gravity brake engine.

8. In an apparatus of the class described,

the combination With a driven shaft and a governor actuated thereby, of a gravity brake engine having a cataract cylinder, a main pressure line communicating With the engine, a by-pass for the engine, a four-Way valve controlling the pressure line and the by-pass of the engine, a by-pass tor the cylinder, a two-way valve controlling said by-pass, links and levers connecting the two valves, means actuated by the governor under excessive speed for shifting the valves for actuating the gravity brake engine, and manually actuated means for operating said valve.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ALFRED WILLIAM CHARLES. CHARLES EDWARD MCDONALD.

Vitnesses:

HARRY MEYER, R. G. HUsroN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

